StarCraft II

The Team Liquid Starleague has become one of the biggest events of the year. TSL is known for changing the lives of many young pro gamers looking to make a name for themselves. This TSL will be no different in fact with the upcoming launch of HOTS this might be the tournament for someone to build their career.

Day 2 of the round of 16 is here. We have 8 players going head to head to earn their spot in the round of 8. The beauty of the round of 16 is, anyone can take it from here. Tonight will feature some of the best Koreans and Europeans fighting for their spot in history. Let's not waste any time and get right into the preview!

The European Vs Korean battle is something everyone talks about going into TSL. It's the main feature every time.

For HasuObs his round of 32 match up verse his former team mate and former TSL champion Thorzain highlighted his impeccable PvT defensive play. He stuck true to his style and kept things slow but what a lot of people may not have realized is that his decision making was flawless. Verse Hack he will have a lot of things thrown at him and if he can keep calm, and play on he will give him a tough time.

Hack displayed some of the most one sided games of the tournament playing verse MaNa in the round of 32. Not long ago people were calling MaNa the best Protoss in Europe after he destroyed the competition at DreamHack but Hack made him look like nothing. Hack will no doubt play to Hasu's weakness in the early game. Expect a lot of action and aggression in the early and mid game.

For these two it's vital to get to the round of 8 but only one can make it.

No one expected DarkForce to make it past Nerchio, people were split on Sting taking out Beastyqt. It was tough for both of these players to get to this point but that's TSL.

Darkforce as a player has played in many tournaments and done some amazing things but he has yet to shake his underdog tag. His round of 32 match against Nerchio was a shocker. I for one certainly didn't think he would make it past the first round but he likes to prove people wrong. He showed incredible resilience to anything Nerchio threw at him and in a 5 game series managed to take the ace match. He will have to muster the same resilience to deal with everything Sting is going to throw at him tonight.

Although Sting is one of the tournaments underdogs, people were split on who would make it the round of 32. The games verse Beastyqt showed he wasn't going to lay down to anyone in this tournament, that attitude fits well with his style in TvZ. Sting showcased his extremely aggressive TvZ style in the TSL qualifiers. DarkForce is in for torrents of abuse early on but if he can hang on we will see a very technical Terran Vs Zerg.

As I said above if Darkforce can perform well in the early and mid game he stands a very good chance in this match. It'll be tough but it's possible. I'll give the edge to Sting though.

It's always a treat to see two of the best up and coming players go head to head in the TSL. Both of these players have made quite the name for themselves already but they are finding it difficult to break into the upper stages of the Korean StarCraft scene.

CoCa has always been known for his exceptional skills verse Protoss. In the round of 32 he faced a hungry SaSe. The series could've gone either way but CoCa shut SaSe down at every opportunity and took the series in convincing fashion. A lot of people were worried about how his return to competitive play would go but he answered all those questions.

Creator is also a player who's put up some impressive results as of late, despite dropping to the up and down matches he showed he has what it takes to compete and it's only a matter of time before he does something special. His round of 32 match went a lot smoother than expected. He manhandled SeleCT and showed an impressive decision making and multitasking.

This match up will be one to watch for every Zerg and Protoss player. Creator is a solid Protoss player, he isn't scared to take anyone on in a macro game and he isn't afraid to end the game early. As for the Zergs out there, CoCa's style may not be up your alley but he will open your eyes to a lot of things that you may not have thought possible.

The gods over at Team Liquid have once again saved the best match for last. One of the best Terrans in the world facing off verse one of the best up-and-coming Protoss players.

Taeja was a quiet player, he didn't make much of a splash in the scene. After joining up with Team Liquid he shook his nerves and started dominating the scene. His round of 32 was closer than what many expected. Everyone expected Bischu to get swept 3:0 but it wasn't to happen. Everyone would agree Taeja played very risky in every game except the ace match were he showed his true self and dominated Bischu to take the series.

First is a player who hasn't had much time in StarCraft II, his first round match however showed us he's pretty good at PvP. He smashed Daisy 3:0. Tonight he faces off against Taeja, they both met at MLG Summer arena were Taeja was the only Terran who was able to defeat First. Nevertheless First has some amazing PvT and he does have a shot at taking down Taeja.

This match up will be the best of the night. I don't think Taeja will underestimate First like he did Bischu. Either way it's bound to be an exciting TvP match. For my prediction I have to give the edge to Taeja, as good as First is at PvT I don't think he's close to the skill level of Taeja in TvP.

Prediction: Taeja 3 - 1 First

The round of 32 was full of drama, but the round of 16 is here and it's bigger and better. Tonight you'll find yourself glued to your monitor to watch the action unfold for yourself. The games start tonight at 8pm CET over on at Team Liquid.

However if you can't watch the action tonight then don't worry, here at SK-Gaming.com we will be providing live coverage of the entire night with results being updated as they happen be sure to check that out.